Plans

[tenaja]

I've ordered a set or two from just about all of the plans suppliers. Now I've got six sets. I figure if I'm going to spend a lot of money and time on a project, I might as well spend a few extra up front so I can make sure I get what I really want. I'm only missing a Badland and the ProSandbox.

Anyway, I just received my Rorty R82 (2 seater) plans, and I've got to say that they are a lot more than any of the other companies provide. They may cost twice as much, but they contain about four times as much information as the next closest thing.

Many of the plans have a single page for each piece of tubing. While this is nice for a beginner making a single piece, it makes the plans cumbersome to page through. These Rorty plans have a single drawing with all dimensions for the base of the frame. What really sets them apart, though, is that even with the condensed drawings, the manual is still 170 pages! It's that full of actual instructions, photos and 3d pics, rather than just notes on a drawing. Many of the other sets have little or no instructions.

This two seater looks like a cross between an Edge--the square tube base is similar to the Piranha--and a Desert kart with its trailing arms.

For anybody looking for highly detailed plans, I really recommend the Rorty's. http://www.rorty-design.com/ I'm just a satisfied customer sharing information.

[amergin]

The R82 is the one we're thinking of building next. I like the overall design. Did you say square tube base? I missed that, not thrilled about the idea either.

[tenaja]

Yes, the bottom layer of the frame is square tube, like the Piranha. I can't see any reason you couldn't make it round. The reason they make it square tube is because it's easier to get a flat base then, and my guess is that round tube is more likely to get smashed anyway, since it can get a small dent a lot easier than a flat surface can.

[tenaja]

For those interested, most of the plans I have implement a square tube base, with rount tube above that. There are exceptions. The Edge buggies use more square tubing for other areas, although the roll cage is round tubing. The Rorty R6 is all round tubing, but the R82 (two seater) has the square bottom with round everywhere else.

I received plans for the Badland Buggy ST2 LT since my first email. The documentation is slightly better than the Edge, with more 3d views and more information on each page. For an absolute beginner, or somebody less mechanically inclined, these may be an alternative to the Rorty for complete plans. You might, however, find the numerous detailed plates to be cumbersome.

While I think there are some neat design aspects, the implementation seems to be less refined. For instance, the rear a-arms are only 14" pivot to pivot. That puts a lot of stress on a drive axle with "long travel." (For reference, the Piranha single a-arm is 21" long!) A more direct comparison is with the Rorty R6, which is about 16" pivot to pivot.

Another weak area is that they install the engine above the rear axle, rather than in front of it. The front end, between the a-arms, is empty. The foot controls are totally behind the front end. Many of the other designs put the foot controls between the a-arms at least partially, if not fully. This allows the driver to be moved forward, giving a better weight distribution, which is compounded by allowing the engine to move forward and down--all without increasing the size.

Cliff

[Rorty]

I opted for SHS for the base of the R82s because of feedback from some builders and decided it would probably be easier for the novice to begin with SHS on their chassis stand or layout board rather than round tube.
SHS makes it a doddle to set up and attach the lower wishbone and trailing arm mounts to.
With square tube it's also easier to get a good seal with the floor to keep the muck and water out. That's not of any interest to duners with open rails and mesh floors, but these buggies are aimed at racers and serious trail bashers who require a bit of protection from the elements.
Of course, anyone with fabricating skills can easily replace the SHS with round tube.